tunnell



H. E. TUNNELL ASS , Apr; '10, 1923.

EMBLING MACHINE Filed Apr.

2 sheets-sheet 1 NM AWN INVENTOR ff r/y E. Tunnell ATTORNEY.

Apr. 10, 1923.

Hw 5'. nm'ezz BY ATTOI'M/EY.

Patented Apr. 10, 1923.

.UNITED STATES PAT , HARRYE. TUNNELL, or NEWYQRK, in. Y.

1,451,381 m OFFICE.

ASSEMBLING MACHINE.

Application 'fil ed April 5, 1920. Serial No. 371,542.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HARRY E. TUNNELL,

a citizen of the United States,,and resident of the borough ofManhattan, city, county, and State of New York, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements, in

Assembling Machines,.of which the followin is a specification. I Mypresent invention relates to machines or apparatus for assembling theparts of articles which, are fitted together with parallel joints, sothat they may be assembled by movementand pressure in one direction. Theobject of this invention is to provide a simple apparatus of this class,particularly adapted forassembling. struc tures embodying tubes bothends of which are'to be connected with heads or casings, said ends beingparallel. As an instance of such an article, I will namefire-extinguishers of the type comprising a pump barrel andfluid-conveying tubes extending alongside such barre e a A speclficexample of my. improved assembling machine is shown in the accompanyingdrawings, in whlch Fig. 1 is a partial plan view of the apparatus; Figs.2 and 3 are longitudinal vertical sections through the center or axisofthe apparatus, showing the, parts intwo different positions; Figs. 4

1 and 5 are transverse vertical sectionson lines 414 and 5-5respectively of Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is an end view-of a cradle forming partof the apparatus, showingsaid cradle in the closed or operativeposition; and Fig.

. 7 is an end view of the same cradle opened 1 ed shank' l iflof anabutment 14, adjustable for, the insertion of the parts to be supingparallel to the ported thereby.

Upon a table or other support 10 are secured rigidly two-blocks ordistance pieces secured thereto as by screws -13.- In the longitudinalaxis of the apparatus, the plate 13 is provided with ascrew-threaded'aperture'to receive the correspondingly-threadlengthwiseby turning it about said, aXis, and locked in position, afteradJustment, by means of a lock-nut 15. The abutment 14 maybeprovidedwith holes 14"v for the insertion of a suitable pointed tool for turnerably cylindrical.

On-these blocks is fastened rigidly a baseplate 12, with a bracket orend plate 13 projecting therefrom upwardly at one end of the base, and

ing it, and has an axially projecting stud 14* on its inner side, saidstud being pref- At the other end of the base 12 a fulcrum-block 16 issecured rigidly, as by means of a nut 17 fitted under the base 12 upon athreaded shank 16 which extends through a slot 12' at this end of thebase. On this block 16 is located the transverse horizontal fulcrum pin18 for a toggle link .19, the other end of which is connected pivotallyat 20 with a similar link 21. That end of the link 21 which is nearestthe abutment 14-, is connected pivotally at 22 with a slide 23 slidinghorizontally along longitudinal guides 24. and formed. at its inner endwith'a transverse plate 23 forming a presser, as will be explainedhereinafter.

At the point 20, the toggle links 19, 21 are connected with an operatingrod 25 extending downwardly through a longitudinal slot 12 of thebase12and through similar slots 11" and 10' of the block lliand table 10respectively the lower end of said rod being connecte at 26 with a pedal27 fulcrumed at 28, a spring 29 tending to restore these parts to thenormal upper position shown in' Fig. 2. Other suitable mechanism may besubstituted for operating the toggle links 19, 21.

Between the stationary abutmentor backing 14: and the sliding presser23, 23 is located a cradle adapted to support one or more of the partsto be assembled, said cradle being freely slidable in adirectionparallel to thepath of the presser. In. the specific construction shown,the cradle comprises three members connected by hinges extendpath of thepresser and One of these parts, 30, may cradle base, and is provided ofthezcradle. be termed the with longitudinal recesses o-r sockets 30',30", 80* and 30*, the recess 30* being on one side of the recess 30,while the recesses 30" and 30 are on the other side thereof, with therecess 30 agb'ove the recess 30". To .the end-of the cradle" base 30which is nearest the presser23, 23 is secured rigidly a head 31, as bymeans of screws '32, said head bein t-ively.

recess At the free longitudinal edge of the section 34 is another hinge36 for a third section 35, having longitudinal recesses and 35' adaptedfor registry with the corresponding recesses of the base 30 and section31, and also having a recess 35 adapted recesses of the base 30 andsection 34 respec- To secure a proper alignment of the sections whenfolded upon one another in the operative position shown in Fig. 6, the

section 35 may be provided with a pin 35 adapted to enter a socket 31 ofthe section 31. The various sockets or recesses of the sections 31. 34,and35 are preferably enlarged on the side facing thepresser 23, 23, fora purpose to be set forth presently. The cradle is guided in itslongitudinal movement by means of vertical bolts 37 screwed into thebottom of the base 30 and extending through longitudinal slots 12* ofthe .base plate 12. sleeves 38 being preferably fire-extinguisher,

. eesses 30',

[One of which mounted loosely on said bolts, while washers 39 located onthe bolts under the plate 12 prevent any vertical movement of'thecradle. The heads of the bolts 37 and the washers 39 are adapted to movein the space 40 left under the plate 12 between the blocks 11, In orderto reduce the friction surface on which the cradle slides, I may securetwo transverse bars 41 to the upper face of the plate 12, and theopposing edges of these bars may also serve as stops to limit thelongitudinal movement of the cradle. The bars 41 may be secured to theplate 12 at different points according to the particular place at whichit is desired to stop the cradle in each individual case, and this is. amore convenient way to limit the movement of the cradle than to rely onthe ends of the slots 12* to act as stops.

The drawings illustrate the use of my invent-ion in assembling certainparts of a viz. a head or casing A, a pump barrel B, fluid-conveyingtubes O, D, E parallel to said barrel, and a second head or casing F atthe end opposite to the head A. The latter has a socket A of cylindricalshape to receive the axially-projecting stud 14*. of the abutment 14,which abutment is first adjusted lengthwise to the proper po- 'sitionfor-the work required. The pump barrel B is placed in the recesses 30.31'

while the cradle or rather its head 31, 34, 35

in theopen positionFig. 7, and similarly, while the cradle head is inthis open position, the tubes C, D, E are placed in the re- 31 and 30*,31* and 30 respectively, while the head F will be placed so that threeof-its four longitudinal nipples is shown in Figs. 2 and 3).will fitinto the enlarged portions of the recesses 3 1". d re p ct vely. the f un pple, whi h 1i at a g er l el, no ing in engagement with? any part ofthe to register with the corresponding cradle at this time. Then, whilethe operator holds the head F in this position, the cradle head isclosed to the position Fig. 6, by swinging its sections 34, 35 on thehinges 33, 36 respectively, thus bringing the fourth or upper nipple ofthe head F in engagement with the walls of the enlarged portions of therecesses 34, 35 while the other three nipples are also engaged by thewalls of the enlarged portions of the recesses35*, 354. and 34", wherebythe head F is held in this position steadily even after the operator haswithdrawn the support of his hand. The closing of the cradle head alsobrings the barrel B and the tubes C and D into engagement with the wallsof the re- F will. have to be held by hand until it is.

engaged by the presser head 23; if the section 31 also is omitted. thehead F would have to be brought by hand into registry and engagementwith the ends of the barrel B and of the tubes C. D, E. and held in thisposition until the advancing presser plate 23 establishes afirm relationbetween the head F and the barrel and tubes. I prefer.

the sectional cradle head construction shown. The head A is providedwith sockets or nipples to receive the ends of the barrel B and of thetubes C, D. E, one of these sockets being indicated at A in Fig. 2.

The ends of the barrel B and of the tubes C, D. E are preferably taperedor sharpened as indicated in Figs. 2 and 3 so that they may more readilyenter the corresponding sockets or nipples in the heads A and F; theoutside diameter of this barrel and of the tubes (except at the taperedends) is slightly larger than the inside diameter of the sockets ornipples, so that the endsof the barrel and of the tubes will be grippedfirmly by said sockets when driven into them as will be set forthpresently. The barrel B and tubes C, D, E are generally made of a metalwhich is harder than the one of which the heads A and F consist.

Fig. 2 illustrates the position of the parts after the barrel B, tubesC, D, E, and head F have been placed in the cradle and the latterclosed, while the head A. has been placed on the stud 14* and turnedabout the axis of said stud until the several nipples or sockets of'thehead A are in proper regtry with the adjacent ends of the barrel Bydepressing the the head-F and by contact "with said head slides theentire cradle with the parts supported thereby, toward the abutment 14;As

the cradle moves in this direction, the ends ofthe barrel and of the'tubee enter the sockets of the head A, and are stopped there'- bytemporarily; The cradle then continues its sliding movement while thebarrel and tubes remain stationary, or substantially so, in theslideways or recesses of the cradle, and

. this relative movement causes the other ends ofthe tubes and of thebarrel to be driven into the corresponding sockets of the head F, 3

7 since the latter continues to move in unison j shoulders providedinsaid heads-, and fiuidq wvith the cradle. At the 'sane'time,orimmediately thereafter, the opposite ends of the barrel and of thetubes are driven into the sockets of the head A, so thatfinally theposition of the parts is as in Fig'. 3, the

sockets of the heads A, F, expanding slightly to allow the ends of thebarrel B and of the tubes C, D, E to enter as far as the' stop tightjoints being thus' 'formed at the ends of the barrel and of the tubes,'it being under stood that the material of the heads A; F

fits tightly, with contractile tension, againstltheouter surfaces ofsaid barrel tube ends. Preferably, the constru'ction is so arranged thatthe movement of the presser parts will be arrested before the togglelinks 19, 21 come into exact alignmen't, so that the spring 29vwillreadily restore these parts to; M

"able relatively toeach other, a cradle located between said presser andsaid abutthe normal position Fig. 2 as soon as'the pedal 27 or otheractuating member is released. The cradle will then be moved by handtoward the presser, to an extent suflicient to release the head A fromthe stud 14*, the sections 34, 35 of the cradle head are swung to theopen positionFigs. 1 and 7 and the assembled unit (heads A and F,barrelB, and tubes C, D, E) can be lifted readily out of the cradle sockets30', 31', 30", 31", 30*, 31*, and 30 respectively. Y

The shoulders at the inner ends of the socket enlargements of the cradlehead will compel the assembled unit to move with the cradle as thelatter is separated from the abutment 14, thus pulling the head A awayfrom the stud 1 l-* and enabling the assembled unit to be removedreadily from the cradle, after opening the cradle head, if such head ismade with the extra sections 34, 35. a

Various modifications may be made without departing from the nature ofmyinvention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A machine of the character described,v

comprising an abutment located at oneend ing perfectly ing of such partson said cradle, it will stay 1n any position'to which it may bebroughtof the machine, a sliding presser at the other end of the machine, and acradle adapted and located'between Sfild abutment and said "presser, andfreely slidable relatively to the presser and'to the abutment in adirection parallel to the path of the presser, said cradle beingperfectly'looseso that, during the placing of such parts on said cradle,

it will stay in any position to which it may be brought between theabutment and the presser." I

2.- A machine of the character described, comprising-a stationaryabutment, a presser located at a distance from said abutment andmovabletoward and from the same, and a cradle located between: saidpresser and said abutment and movable freely relatively to the presserand to the abutment in the same direction as the presser, said cradlebeing perfectly loose so that, during the placing of suchparts onsaidcradle, it will stay in any "position to which it may be brought betweenthe abutment and thepresser.

3. A machine of the character described,-

comprising an abutment, a presser spaced therefrom, means for effectingrelative move mentiof said presser and abutment to vary the distancebetween them, and a cradle freely movable between said. presser andabutment relatively to both of them in the direction of suchrelative-movement, said-cradle beloose so that, during the placbetweenthe abutment and the presser.

" machine of the character'described,

comprising'an abutment and a'presser'movment. a base having guide slotsextending lengthwise, in the direction of said relative movement,projections .extending from the cradle into said slots, transversely tosaid direction, and rollers mounted on said projections and engaging thewalls of said slots. 5. A machine of the character described, comprisingan abutment and a presser movable relatively to each other, and a cradlelocated between said presser and said abutment and provided withsupporting slide ways in which some of the parts being'assembled maymove lengthwise during the said relative movement. I 6. A machine of thecharacter described, comprising an abutment and a presser movablerelatively to each other, a cradle located between said presser and saidabutment, a base having a guide surface extending lengthwise, in thedirection of said relative movement, a projection extending from saidcradle adjacent to said guide surface, transversely to said direction,and a roller mounted on said projection and engaging said guide surface.

to support some of the arts to be assembled,

able relatively tov eachother, said abutment being provided with a studprojectmg toward the pressertopivotally support one of the parts to beassembled, and anarticlepresser and said abutment.

supporting cradle located between said presser and said abutment.

8. A comprising an abutment and a presser movable relatively to eachother, oneof said elements being provided with a part projecting towardthe other element, in the direction of such relative movement, tosupport one of the parts to be assembled, and an article-supportingcradle located between said 9. A machine of the character described,comprising an abutment and a presser movable relatively to each other,and a cradle located between said abutment and said presser andincluding a cradle head made of separable sections provided withregistering recesses for engaging the article being assembled.

10. A machine of the character described, comprising an abutment and. apresser, vmovable relatively to each other, and a cradle located betweensaid abutment and said presser and including a cradle head made ofseparable sections connected by hinges parallel to the direction of suchrelative movement, said sections being adapted to engage the articlebeing assembled.

11. A machine of the character described,

comprising an abutment and a presser movable relatively to each other,and a cradle located between said presser and said abut-1 ment andincluding a cradle head made of machine of the character described,

sections connected by a plurality'of parallel hinges and; adapted toengage the article being assembled,

. 12. A machine of the character described, comprising an abutment and apresser movable relatively to each other, and a cradle located-betweensaid presser andsaid abutment, and includinga cradle head made of hingedsections adapted to embrace part of the article being assembled.

. 13.,A 1i1achine of the character described, comprisingan abutment anda presser movable relatively to each other, a cradle located betweensaid presser and said abutment, at base having a plurality of spacedguide surfaces extending lengthwise, in the direction of said relativemovement, and

projections extending from said cradle transversely to said, directionand engaging said guide surfaces.

14, A machine of the character described, comprising an abutment and apresser mov-. able relatively to each other, said abutment beingadjustable lengthwise, in the direction of such relative movement, and acradle located between said presser and said abutmenta 15. A; machine ofthe character described, comprising a table provided with spaced crossbars on its upper face, an abutment at one side of said cross bars, alongitudinally-movable presser on the other side of said bars, and alongitudinally-movable cradle located between said presser and saidspecification. HARRY E. TUNNELL.

